Red Bull boss Christian Horner said Max Verstappen's final pitstop to secure the fastest lap at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix was a risky but fitting tribute to Red Bull's late owner Dietrich Mateschitz.
Verstappen was leading by some 23 seconds when he came in for soft tyres on the penultimate lap in a bid to take the bonus point from team mate Sergio Perez, a move that could have backfired badly had anything gone wrong.
As it turned out, the Red Bull pit crew performed impeccably and Verstappen returned to the track with a three second advantage over the chasing Ferraris.
The double Formula 1 World Champion bagged the bonus with his fifth win in a row that sent him 81 points clear of Perez at the top and also maintained Red Bull's run of nine out of nine for the season.
"He was pushing us about that pitstop," Horner told Sky Sports television of the conversation with Verstappen. "You could tell he wanted that soft set of tyres.
"It was like 'OK, no risk no fun'. That was what Dietrich always said and the mechanics have been on such great form in the pits today it was a very low risk thing to do."
Mateschitz's spirit felt around Red Bull Ring
Sunday's race at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring was the first since the death of Mateschitz last October.
"He was our leader, founder, he created all of this," said Horner. "He was Red Bull and despite him not being here in presence, you feel his spirit here. He would have enjoyed that one."
Reflecting on the race, the Red Bull boss added: "It has been an incredible day for the Team today and a fantastic weekend as a whole.
"Max is obviously on exceptional form, taking qualifying, the Sprint race and now the Grand Prix is just sensational. Obviously we took a different strategy to that of our competitors, meaning he had to make the overtakes on track which led to some fantastic watching and a stunning weekend for him. We decided to go for the fastest lap on the last lap despite the risk involved in an additional pitstop.
"Checo too had such great pace today, particularly when he got clean air. When you start down at 15th, your ability to get close to victory is obviously compromised, so his recovery from 15th to a podium was outstanding and his battle with Carlos was box-office," he said of Sergio Perez's race from 15th to third.
"This is our best run of in-season results since 2013, the Team is operating at a level not seen in our 19 year history and we're grateful for every victory we achieve," the Briton added.
"Results like today are the work of every single department, it's not just about the race team, it's the activity that goes on behind the scenes back at the factory, from operations, manufacturing, research and development, aerodynamics, to our support functions in Finance, Marketing, Legal and HR, all of these need to come together and work as a team, and this is where we are so strong.
"This is the first time we've been back at the track since Dietrich's passing. It felt very poignant to put in such a great team performance today.
"Whilst not here in person, you feel his presence everywhere, his passion and spirit are the reason we're all here today and we owe him so much. This one's for Dietrich," Horner concluded.
Verstappen: Weekend couldn't have been any better to be honest
Verstappen said after taking his 42nd F1 career win: "It's been a pretty incredible weekend; it couldn't have been any better to be honest.
"We did everything well as a Team, from the strategy through to the pit stops. Heading into the race we all had question marks around the tyres but we were all happy with how they performed compared to our competitors.
"I felt really comfortable in the car all weekend and we were able to do everything that we had planned. The final pit stop was a risk of course, I think the Team could hear from my voice on the radio that I wanted to pit (laughs).
"From the outside it might have looked crazy but I knew we could do it, I saw there was a gap and I wanted to make the most of it," the Dutchman concluded.
Perez added, after his best showing in the last few races: "It was a really good race. I think we had the pace this weekend: we showed it in the Sprint and we showed it today.
"It was a nice comeback and I feel really comfortable with the car, it has been really special. I think we were all racing quite hard and it is always a pleasure to battle with drivers like Carlos.
"We have had a tricky few races, so it has been nice to get back and have that pace and form. I am still not one hundred per cent physically, however, so now I need to look ahead and recover ahead in time for Silverstone," the Mexican concluded. (
Reporting by Alan Baldwin, Additional reporting by Agnes Carlier
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